Taking it Easy

... And here I have got some help in the relaxation department.

Old Man

Here's a pic of me celebrating my birthday by standing in a corner, relaxing and drinking celebratory Guinness

More Sean

Some of the newest baby pictures. It can be tricky to get a good one since the little guy refuses to be still.

Happy Birthday From the Lads at Ark Royal!

Today is my Birthday. I am now entering the last year of my twenties. Since I am pretty much a 14-year old in disguise I do not really care what any "official" number says.

I am glad however I actually succeeded in keeping one of my favourite Birthday traditions alive: watching Richie Rich Celebrate himself.

Office Hijinks

Goofing off with the Noah's Ark themed tapestry on 3rd floor.

Fish out of European Water

Two things I just found out about where i am that are obviously blog worthy:

• Men here do not wear scarves. The wife just informed me of this the other day, and it made me seriously reassess the looks from dudes I have been getting since I proudly brought out the scarves a couple of weeks ago.
• You can't get NME here. Jarvis Cocker is on the cover of the new issue, which boasts that "Pulp is back!" I want to read this but since I am in a place where 'foreign' is something to be scared of, and NME's website sucks i guess we will have to do without.

Cardmaker

One of the lovely nurses in our department has her birthday today. It bestowed upon me to make the old lass an appropriate card for the occasion. This what I came up with:

Self is Best

This is our 4 month old little strongman who decided it will just be better if he holds the bottle himself!

Lessons in Parenting

This is me running the stroller over the only threshold in the house in an attempt to get Sean to sleep.

Ironically this is also the only doorway in the house that doesnt have a door...

Horseplay

An example of how I like to mess around in the office

Classic!

Baby Pictures

I Thought I'd post the newest pictures of wee Sean. Although, he's not really that wee anymore - he weighs 9 Kilo (20 lb). The little monster turns 4 months on Friday.

Fifth of November

Haven't been sharing on the blog in a really long time now. The main reason for is, as always, that i have been ridiculously busy at work. I am working on a project of sorts and if it turns out well i will probably be looking at a work status of "State employee" (wicked), should things not go so well there are literally people standing in line to do it better (literally).
Although for now i am taking a breakfast breather with some cold pizza and hot coffee at the desk.

Little Known Fact

This is what a Dinosaur wearing shades and a checkered shirt looks like.

Admin Jedi

I am bringing Casual Thursday to new, unexplored heights by wearing jeans and my new Luke Skywalker shirt in the office.

Brown

So far today I have listened to three albums with The Black Keys, I have played one (maybe their only?) album with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals twice because it was so good. An hour ago I introduced my Forty-something coworker to Frank Zappa’s Bobby Brown. Now I am rocking hard to Pulp.

If had a fanzine I would call it Common People.

Scaring Time

The seasonal sign on the office door

Thursday Update

While my homemade (office made, more like it) blend of coffee - one half year old stale store ground Dunkin' Donuts and one half even older Christmas coffee - is boiling in the corner I thought I'd update the old blog some.

Had a visit from the Old Country last week. It was really awesome. Of course there is never enough time to do everything you have planned, but i feel we got as much out of the week as we could.

The only picture from the visit that I took with my phone is the one below - my older brother who is now scientifically proven to be Decadent and Sweet.

October!

I am really busy at work, but thought I should post something so I'm not assumed MIA.
Here is my morning so far:

• Woke up by Hungry Baby Cries
• Fed Sean and got him ready
• Got myself ready
• Helped get the wife ready (she has a sprained arm, can't do much by herself)
• Dropped the baby off at the sitter
• Arrived in the office (slightly behind schedule)
• Got today's load of cancer charts ready
• Shaved
• Had a cup of coffee while going through a couple of consents

Now I'm going to have a couple of apples for breakfast.

WalMart Parking Lot

Where Charleston's finest and brightest shop

Part 3

The second day out of town we kept up the hiking:

Outdoorsy Weekend, part 2

More pictures from NC:

Back From the Edge

The Family spent last weekend in Morganton, North Carolina. We did so to visit the Wife's dad and get away from the Charleston humidity that slowly but surely will drive you mad.

This is our story in pictures:

Sean and I sleeping in

Eggs & Bacon for breakfast

Off to admire the scenery

Happy 90210 Day

Sucky show but the date thing only happens once in our lifetime! (Once in a all time to be specific).

Alone again

Alone in the office again today, which means that I can shut the door and rock out while working. Today's play list consist of:

• Meat Puppets
• Pixies
• The Dead Weather
• Dinosaur Jr
• The Raveonettes
• The Jesus and Mary Chain

I love my taste in music!

Self Portrait

Office View

It is thundering and raining like mad here in Chucktown right now.

Almost Near Death Experience

So yesterday afternoon I somehow managed to acquire two free bottles of red. Of course I then did the only right thing and drank one of them.

What really made last night memorable though was when I, half way through the Pinot, decided to step out on the patio to smoke my pipe.

Under the Sherlock Holmes-like pipe was a cricket hiding, who apparently didn't like it when I wanted to use his roof as a smoking device. This may not sound very terrifying, but it was! Crickets are evil creatures with Death in their eyes who like nothing more than to mess people up.

Spider Friday

Baby Sean only woke up twice last night so I am actually quite rested for once. Now I am working while rocking out to Echo & The Bunnymen and My Bloody Valentine before my office mate comes in.

The Spider below is about the size of my palm, and half his back is yellow and orange and the other half has a marking that looks like a skull!

And oh yeah - he lives at our house.

Sneak Out

Not much to report over here. My biggest achievement so far today is drinking my weight in coffee. As it is now I am thinking of heading out a bit earlier than I should and go home to the family.

Also - Congratulations to Lisa Simpson who, according to the 1995 episode Lisa's Wedding got married yesterday.

Sucker Punch

First on in the office, which mean I get to do my thing while blasting The Stone Roses and The Vaselines - Awesome.

Speaking of awesome, the trailer for Sucker Punch is out:

I've Been Robbed

Of seven centimeters that is.
I measured myself in the children's clinic today (because that's the sort of things I do!) only to realise that their wall mounted measuring instrument is way off when it comes to the old Metric scale. I have always (well not always, but at least the last ten years) sported a proud 177 cents. According to the hospital's piece of crap body ruler I am barely a measly 169. Not cool!
I tried to tell the nurses and get them as excited about the gross miscalculating situation as I was, but since they only wanted to ask me about Baby Sean and even gave me one of those squiggly wristbands in the shape of Wonder Woman I found it hard to stay on topic.
But then again, how can you not want to talk about anything but this:

Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot

I am at the moment getting myself acquainted with Sparklehorse, the American rock band. I am kicking myself a bit for not discovering them earlier, especially since the major member in the band produced albums for both A Camp and Dan Johnston.
For those of you that haven't heard Sparklehorse - It sounds like a mix of The Raveonettes and Sonic Youth with the Cheeriness of Magnetic Fields.

Working Stiff

Quarter past five and I am still in the office. I have initiated my plan to work 10-hour days four days a week, so I can have three whole day at home with the wife and son.
Revelation of the day: 4 hours of sleep and 10 hours of work makes Matt tired.

Welcome, Sean Padraig

This Monday Nikki and I had our son, Sean Padraig.

He is probably the cutest baby ever!

Fête du Canada!!

Today I thought it be appropriate to congratulate our neighbours in the North for being England's lapdogs for 143 years.

I did so by making my own sign to put on the office door.

Getting Closer

Midsummer's Eve tomorrow. Wish I could do like my fellow Northerners and take half day off today and spend tomorrow doing nothing but getting pissed. Although that obviously isn't going to happen, I am thinking about trying this new recipe for Jamaican Beef Patties tomorrow...
Also - there is now 2-3 weeks till Nikki and I have our baby!

Anyone But England

Been doing little but working and watching the footie in the past weeks. Since day one I have been rooting for the All Whites (New Zealand), simply because they are the massive underdogs and they kick ass as a nation. It is a constant struggle not to get any of the coworkers to blab about the scores, since I am recording them and spend my night going through the games and statistics.

My office wall

Lets Start This Cup

I have pretty much managed to stay away from footie related news all day, so I can watch the opening day games when I come home. I love my DVR!

Four Years is a Long Time To Wait

It is Friday and the World Cup opening is only hours away. I am at work having the first cup of coffee of the day, skimming through the news of the world.

I Say Onion - You Say Cebolla

Good thing about having a rather impressive foreign accent:
People know just by talking to you that you have been to different places in your life, and you are more likely to own a multifaceted perspective on things.

Bad things about having the very same foreign accent:
You try to tell the Hispanic check out girl at Harris Teeter the machine didn't scan your green onion correctly, and realising after a while she has no idea what you are saying.

Running and Movieing

Realised it has been a week since I blogged last. So here it is, the latest post.
The most exciting thing to have happened since last is probably that I am back to 10 K per run. It took some time after the move and all to find its way back to where you boast the old "10 kilometers under the hour" as being your fitness staple, but it always feels good when you re-join the club.
Off to see "Get him to the Greek" tonight. I have got high expectations!

New Experience

I think I just introduced my coworker to Sonic Youth!

So Close...

You can listen to music for free at grooveshark.com.
Right I am trying to get the weekend started with some Joy Division!

Seriously?

Update: Taylor Swift is Alternative Indie as well.
What does that make bands like Village Green?

Tigermilk

Apparently,according to Internet Radio and office lore, Evanescence passes for Alternative Indie.
I feel that my tries to exemplify proper Indie by highlighting bands such as Belle & Sebastian and The Vaselines has fallen on deaf ears.

Rained In

I haven't gone running since Sunday. There are two reasons for this new slacker attitude;

• It has been raining since Sunday night
• I left my running shoes on the back patio, ergo - they now hold two days worth of rainwater.

JuJu Java

I am trying to cut down on the coffee only to prove to myself that the temporary involuntary shakes I sometimes get in arms and legs are not related to the 10+ cups of coffee i drink a day. I am not sure how to come out as a winner from this experiment...

Matt the Baptist

Just checked in the US Social Security database for popular baby names.
No matter what sex the baby is we know what we are going to name it. We have got two very cool names for planned for each possible option. The funny thing is that apparently both alternatives has one name in them the US SS office doesn't even recognise. Out of all the four names one rank in the 90's and one is in the upper 500's.
If there is an unconventional way of doing things - that's where you'll find the Eriksons

Celebrate This!!

Today is Confederate Memorial Day.

How to get your point across.

If you feel that someone at your workplace just isn't pulling their weight when it comes to recycling and such, here's what you can do:
Cut out images of cockroaches and put in and around said person's office.

Subtle while keeping it classy!

Mice!!

I just found this video online. It is an all time favourite of mine.
I have been looking for it for years, and today I found it in seconds, makes me wonder what I was doing wrong earlier.

Greens!!

Update:
One of the sweet ladies at work just came in to my office to give me some homegrown radishes and lettuce.
End Update.

Weekly Update

Here is some of what has happened in the past week.

Mister is liking his new digs.

I got myself a haircut.

Not the most exciting of weeks, maybe...